Roland Trettl explains in an interview why risotto is right for Valentine's Day and how cooking together becomes the "perfect foreplay".
Star chef Roland Trettl (49), who has now published the book "Cooking for Two" (Southwest) together with his wife Daniela, explains in an interview with spot on news how cooking together can become the perfect foreplay and what there is for Valentine's Day .
"Cooking for Two: Recipes for Enjoyable Moments" is the title of the book that you have now published together with your wife. How was working on the book together?
Roland Trettl: The book is actually the result of a three-month collaboration in the first lockdown phase. Whereby you can't even call the development of the book work. If you wanted to eat something good at this time, you had to cook it yourself. And that gave rise to my wife's idea in mid-March to go live on Instagram while she was cooking. After all, many people would be home right now and might be interested in watching us cook. We then noticed very quickly that there was great interest and went live every day at lunchtime. After a week, I decided that if I was already cooking it, I could take a picture of the dish. The food photography in the book is done by me. I got a professional camera for this, photographed the dish and it was formulated. So if I already have the right picture material and 80 recipes, it can quickly turn into a book.
Are you a well-rehearsed team in the kitchen or do you sometimes have a dispute over the selection of recipes and their preparation?
Trettl: We're not a well-rehearsed team in the kitchen at all. We are both alpha animals and can really only cook together in the kitchen if everyone prepares their own dish. We will probably not be able to cook a dish together because we both often have very different opinions on how to best prepare it. One wants it that way, the other quite differently. But if I cook one dish and my wife cooks another dish by my side, then we will have two great dishes.
Do you have the impression that many people who have now spent more time at home due to Corona have discovered cooking for themselves? Do you think this will also increase the overall appreciation of food?
Trettl: I can't make any assumptions, I can only hope so. I can hope that people have noticed that cooking and eating together is something very nice. It lets people grow together. So you might save yourself the trip to the fast food giant in the future and cook together at home and enjoy it. This is a very great hope.
In "Cooking for Two" you present numerous recipes. Which of these would you recommend for a Valentine's Day dish at home? What do you have on Valentine's Day this year?
Trettl: Mmh … That's really difficult. Since I am of the opinion that I was ultimately able to convince my wife with my risotto that we belong together, I would cook a risotto. A risotto has such a special consistency, this creamy texture, the beautiful sheen … That is why such a dish would be my first choice. The most important thing is always cooking together, I think; Don't just serve it up when it's ready, but spend time together in the kitchen. Even stirring a risotto paired with a nice hip movement can show that the mood is (still) right. Then it's the perfect foreplay, so to speak.
Can you still remember your first Valentine's Day with your wife and how you celebrated it?
Trettl: I actually met my wife on Valentine's Day. In fact, on the night of February 13th to 14th. But we met again on February 14th. She didn't believe me that I could cook, I didn't believe her that she was a yoga teacher. Our meeting then proceeded in such a way that we first did yoga together and then ate together in order to prove to each other that we had mastered our subject. That day I fried a beef chop and left it pretty bloody. At that time I wanted to know how this woman reacted to it. And that was very positive.
In your book, you and your wife write that when you eat with other people, you see how they feel. What are you up to?
Trettl: The posture, the glow in your eyes when the menu is served, a smile when you read the menu, the glow in your eyes when the food arrives … and also the closeness to the dish – when the court stands before you and you lean back, then that is almost a defensive position. But when you see the food coming and you are full of anticipation, soak up the smell, perhaps slide your finger in briefly and simply notice that all the senses result in a whole, then I know that this person is a culinary and he is eating is just so important.
You also tell in the book how much you enjoy carefree dining out. How much do you miss that in the Corona crisis?
Trettl: I can remember the first lockdown and May 16, 2020, when the restaurants in Austria were allowed to reopen and after three or four months I was allowed to go back to one of my favorite restaurants, the Steirereck. It was just one of the greatest foods I've had in my life. This is certainly also due to the waiver during the lockdown. It also teaches you to have respect for things that are otherwise so taken for granted. I think it didn't hurt me at all that this matter of course was broken. If you are allowed to do it every day, then it goes without saying, but it shouldn't be taken for granted. Corona shows us limits in a brutal way. In this case it wasn't that bad for me personally, but of course it's amazing for the restaurateurs. I will make up for everything that I had to do without now. The turnover that the catering industry has lost to me over the years will be returned to them and I'll be happy to visit them as soon as everything is open again.
Do you think the catering trade is threatened with a wave of bankruptcies due to the long shutdown?
Trettl: I don't want to talk about waves of bankruptcies, that sounds so rigorous. I think the gastronomy is facing insane challenges. The restaurateurs who worked well before will certainly be overrun again when things start again. The guests long to finally visit restaurants again. Everyone is full of anticipation to be able to go out to eat again. For those who had few guests before, it will be an even greater challenge, but where things went well before, the guests will certainly want to catch up a lot. This is my big wish.